When the hunters, now as entrenched as turtles, shift from pursuit to a waiting game, what should the prey do?

The answer is simple: make a swift escape!

Julius was no foolhardy combat fanatic. Fully aware that the scouts were emboldened by the backing of the HoundGuards, he had no intention of engaging them further, especially when his current physical strength was considerably depleted.

Besides, he had already achieved his goal. By diverting the HoundGuards' attention away from Rosaline's clinic and ensuring Lucia's safety, he was free to implement his backup plan—no longer baiting his pursuers, but instead, focusing all his efforts on escape.

Covering his conspicuous white hair with a tattered cloak picked up from the ground, Julius sprinted across rooftops, scanning the surroundings with his consciousness while avoiding the gaze of passersby, running several blocks before hearing a piercing sound from the sky in the direction he had left.

*Whoosh————*

A bright red orb pulsed rhythmically in the sky, clearly some sort of signal for reinforcements. Sadly, no amount of backup would find someone who had long since made their escape.

"Red flare? A beast herd or a foreign enemy?"

"It's from within the city, probably sent by the HoundGuards."

"Ah, what a false alarm. Let's get back to work."

As the rain began to ease, the townspeople noticed the signal and came out to the streets, peering anxiously in the direction of the red light. Upon seeing a few scattered HoundGuards heading towards the signal, they calmed down and returned to their tasks.

It seems the common folk have a certain degree of trust in the abilities of the HoundGuards. Musing, Julius seized the opportunity to lightly jump down from the rooftops and blend into the crowd on the streets below.

With his white hair and blue eyes hidden, a skinny boy lost in the crowd attracted no attention. Thus, the HoundGuards rushing towards the signal passed him by, missing their true target.

Pretending to stroll carelessly, Julius turned down several streets before finally stopping in a dim alley, casually sitting down on a step shielded from the rain to catch his breath.

With Lucia still safe from the HoundGuards' notice, under the care of Doctor Rosaline, Julius, now free from pursuit, could finally breathe easy.

Yet, this thought brought him a slight frown.

Where to next... That's a tough choice.

Following the alley forward would lead him back to the familiar slums, a suitable hideout as long as he stayed away from gang territories. However, hiding in the slums would mean Julius couldn't access the resources he needed to strengthen himself.

*Gurgle——*

As if to affirm his thoughts, a pang of pain and hunger struck Julius.

While the Soulforge Bodycraft's physical enhancement is beneficial, it significantly increases energy consumption. Though I can force it to operate at high intensity for a while using soul energy, it's not a sustainable solution.

Lacking familiar Spiritual Qi and with little understanding of magic,

Julius's options for gaining strength were limited. He could mainly focus on physical enhancement, known among cultivators as "Body Tempering," an introductory method on the path of cultivation.

However, as his body became stronger, its energy consumption increased, and soon, even violently seizing food from the gangs in the slums might not satisfy the nutritional needs of his enhanced physique.

Hiding in the shadows of the main streets, scavenging scraps from the garbage bins around restaurants or stalls could barely stave off hunger. Yet, he would risk being tracked by the HoundGuards again, potentially even dragging Lucia into the fray.

As for the remaining options...

Julius lifted his gaze, looking through the narrow alley all the way to the dense, towering walls at the city's edge.

Ironwood, situated in the eastern part of the Magroma Empire, wasn't exactly borderland but was far enough from the capital, hence most of the surrounding area, aside from the main roads, remained undeveloped and natural.

Poisonous insects, wild beasts, carnivorous plants, and even worse, elemental beasts—dangerous creatures either born with or acquiring the ability to control certain elements—stepping beyond Ironwood's tall walls into the sparsely populated jungles or wilderness could result in a heart-racing encounter with these entities.

As such, aside from merchant caravans guarded by powerful mages, skilled hunters adept at evading enemies, or exiled criminals, almost no one ventured too far from the safety of the high walls.

Of course, this was common knowledge for the ordinary people of this world. However, for a swordsman who had spent years wandering the wilderness, with extensive survival experience, the area beyond the walls might just be the ideal playground.

With the HoundGuards' defenses currently weakened due to reinforcements being dispatched to the location of a flare signal, leaving the city wasn't much of a challenge. As for returning... by then, Julius figured he'd have undergone significant changes through Body Tempering; even if wanted posters were plastered right at the city gates, the guards might not recognize him.

Recalling from memory, Ironwood's tall walls had three gates.

Firstly, the southern gate, closest to Julius now, was the largest and most frequently used, facing directly towards the main road. Constructed from giant oak wood treated with tung oil, its hardness was nearly at military grade.

Although it was the quickest to reach, the southern gate was not the first choice since it wasn't under the jurisdiction of the HoundGuards but patrolled by imperial soldiers—more numerous and elite.

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Next, a bit farther, was the western side gate, mainly used for transporting goods. Sneaking in and out hidden among cargo was a viable option, but its proximity to the HoundGuards' headquarters area made it less appealing.

Lastly, the eastern side gate, closest to the slums, led out to lush pastures and dense forests surrounding it. It was primarily used by herders with their livestock and hunters, making the inspection process lax, with guards often slacking or napping.

Mingling with a group of hunters, blending in with a herd of animals, or simply sneaking past while the guard is not paying attention—there are countless ways. The eastern side gate it is, then.

Decision made, Julius immediately set into action, striding towards the depths of the alley, heading in the direction he knew all too well—his makeshift home in the slums' abandoned sewer system.

As the ancient saying goes, "A craftsman who wishes to do his work well must first sharpen his tools." Even someone as experienced as him needed to make some preparations for surviving in the unknown wilderness.

A simple pouch made from ragged cloth, some scrap iron, and half a loaf of bread Lucia had managed to procure—these leftover items at home could save him considerable effort. Retrieving them wouldn't take much time, so why not?

"Hm?"

But hardly had he walked into the slum's crudely piled-up structures when Julius paused, a peculiar feeling making him instantly alert.

His consciousness rapidly scanned the surroundings, penetrating those moldy, damp wooden planks, and meticulously surveyed everything around him.

"Are there fewer people?"

Approaching the territory of the White Wolf gang, formed by Nivian people, Julius noticed a nearly total absence of human heartbeats, with only the faint pulses of rats and birds within reach.

"And this scent..."

His enhanced senses quickly distinguished a particular smell from the air, a detestable odor all too familiar to him.

The stench of humans burned alive.

*Whoosh*

Without further thought, Julius propelled himself at maximum speed, agilely maneuvering through the maze of dilapidated wooden structures towards the source of the burnt smell.

"The scent is getting stronger. This direction is... the White Wolf gang's central gathering place?"

According to Julius's memory, initially, this organization was more of a mutual aid society among Nivian compatriots, sharing resources and food, striving together to improve their lives. Back then, before Julius had recalled his past life memories as a Sword Sovereign, he too had worked in their fields outside the city.

However, three years ago, due to disturbances at Dragon Nest Volcano, Ironwood's surroundings began to experience beast tides, destroying the Nivians' farmland. Coupled with a leadership change in the HoundGuards and the subsequent oppressive management of Nivians within the city, these destitute refugees reorganized under the leadership of twin brothers into the White Wolf Gang, turning to theft and robbery for survival.

Being a Nivian himself and known for his adept thievery, Julius was invited to join them. However, due to his principle of "only stealing food, not valuables" and several ensuing conflicts, they parted ways on bad terms.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Julius continued to overcome obstacles, soon arriving at the heart of the White Wolf Gang's territory—a small square constructed from pebbles and clay, mimicking the layout of Ironwood's town square, built with materials purchased from the first year's harvest of their cultivated fields, symbolizing the hope of Ironwood's Nivians.

However, now the site bore the marks of a brutal massacre.

Looking around, the fire had long been extinguished, leaving the vast area littered with black ashes and charred fragments, some of which vaguely resembled human bones.

At the center of the plaza, a large number of twisted, charred bodies were piled up in a heap, their limbs pulled apart, pierced with various blackened weapons, not even sparing them their final dignity in death.

Men, women, the elderly—twenty-seven charred bodies were burned alive here, in the very place symbolizing their stride towards a better life. Their mouths agape as if to scream out the pain and despair of their final moments. Some remnants of fiery red embers still clung to them, and their faces, distorted by the heat, were unrecognizable, but without a doubt, they were all Nivian.

Walking slowly through this hellish scene, Julius's steps halted in front of the appalling pile of charred bodies.

Before him, on the heap of corpses, the still-glowing embers formed a pattern, the same one engraved on the hilt of the sword at Julius's waist—the emblem of a fanged hound.

Clearly, the perpetrator of this infernal scene made no attempt to conceal their actions, instead treating it as a trophy to boast.

In the face of this scene, Julius remained silent, only bending down slightly to grasp the hilt of a sword embedded in the neck of a charred body.

*Crack*

The already carbonized tissue crumbled instantly under the force, and he effortlessly drew the rough short sword forged from scrap iron—the White Wolf gang's makeshift weapon.

After placing the sword aside with reverence, Julius began to methodically remove the weapons used by the murderer to mock and desecrate their bodies from the pile of charred remains.

Swords, spears, pitchforks, and rakes—all assembled from scrap metal and refuse, were the crude tools forged by the White Wolf Gang to fend off wild beasts outside the city and toil in their fields. Each one bore their aspirations for a new life, and each was cruelly impaled into their very creators.

Now, Julius had removed them all. Some were broken, some shattered, but he carefully pieced them back into their original shapes, arranging them neatly around him.

Then, he brought his hands together, closed his eyes, and murmured softly.

"Twenty-seven arms, for twenty-seven souls departed, all fell in combat. Here, I, erect a sword mound to bear witness, in hope that the drifting spirits might find their way back to their ancestral lands."

Unfamiliar with the burial customs of this world, this was all Julius could do. He performed the most common and solemn rite known to sword cultivators to console the souls of these twenty-seven compatriots.

*Twang*

Just as Julius was concluding the ritual, his eyes still closed, a faint twang of a bowstring pierced the silence.

From a dark corner of a collapsed wooden house by the square, a crudely made crossbow bolt shot out, aimed directly at Julius's unprotected back!

*Clang*

In the face of this sudden attack, which would have been impossible for an ordinary person to react to, Julius merely shifted slightly. The bolt grazed his shoulder and thudded into the ground.

Julius turned, his gaze quickly locking onto the source of the attack—a Nivian girl hiding in the shadows of the distant ruins, wielding a makeshift hand crossbow.

She appeared slightly older than Julius, her white hair mostly singed, her clothes covered in burn marks and dust, her face smeared with a mix of dust and tear tracks. Yet, she glared at Julius with eyes red from smoke and filled with hatred, focusing on the elaborate HoundGuard elite straight sword hanging at his waist.

"Murderer... get out! Get out of our home!"

Before Julius could attempt to explain, the girl had already loaded a second bolt into her crossbow. However, her fingers, trembling from fear, refused to cooperate, unable to pull the string.

"Shit..." Dropping the crossbow aside, she charged forward like a psycho, picking up a pebble from the ground and hurling it at Julius.

*Thud*

This time, Julius didn't dodge, allowing the stone to hit him.

"Why? What have we done to deserve this?!"

"We just wanted to live, to have a home. Is that too much to ask?!"

"My sister was sold to a brothel and played to death, my mother was beheaded in the street, and now you've killed everyone!"

With each accusation, she threw a stone at Julius, who silently bore the brunt.

"Come on, your favourite white rat is right in front of you! Come and kill me!"

After throwing the last pebble around her, the girl collapsed to her knees, offering her neck in a gesture of despair.

*Thud*

The final stone hit Julius squarely on the forehead, knocking off the cloak covering his head, and blood immediately began to flow.

Beneath the cloak, silver-white hair and azure blue eyes, symbols unique to Nivian people, a testament to blood-tied kinship, were revealed. At that moment, the girl froze in shock.

"You're... a kinsman?" Her voice trembled, "What have I done..."

"Consider it a punishment for my lack of consideration," Julius wiped the blood from his forehead. "Now, please tell me, what happened here?"

As if recalling the scenes of the massacre, fear swiftly overtook the girl's eyes, but the will for revenge steadied her enough to speak the culprit's name.

"It was Ashwarden, Kenneth the Ashwarden, the Second-Ringed mage of the HoundGuards. He killed almost everyone and took the leaders captive..."